Automatic filling-machine.



No. 888,615. PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

J. N. HUMPHREYS AUTOMATIC FILLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED mm: 20,1907.

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. J. N. HUMPHREYS AUTOMATIC FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20,1907.

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PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

J. N. HUMPHREYS. v AUTOMATIC FILLING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20,1907.

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JEROME N. HUMPHREYS, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

AUTOMATIC FILLING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Application filed June 20, 1907. Serial No. 379,935.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEROME N. -HUM- PHREYS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Filling-Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to filling machines, and more particularly to that class of such machines in which the receptacles of predetermined size or capacity are automatically filled and removed after such quantity has been delivered-thereinto, as by means of valved conduits and weighing mechanism, which are adapted to be controlled by the making and breaking of electrical circuits.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind which will be simple, compact and automatic in each and every move ment, whereby the only manual labor that is necessary to be expended will be for the purpose of providing the machine with receptacles and the material to be placed therein, and removing the receptacles from the race ways after they have been filled.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly diagrammatic, of a machine embodyin the invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view 0 one end of one of the race-ways; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism for controlling the movement of the receptacles; and Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 and 2 are conduits through which the material to be placed in the receptacles is passed anddelivered into receptacles, 3 at their lower ends.

Near the lower end of each conduit is located a valve, 4, the inner ends of which are connected with a reciprocatory bar, 5, of such length that when one valve is moved to open its conduit, the other conduit will be closed. The bar 5 and valve 4 are preferably actuated by means of a lever 6, which is pivotally mounted upon a portion, 7, of the main framework or support of the conduit, and has its free end pivotally secured to a head or block, 8, that is mounted upon armatures, 9, of electro-magnets, 10. In the drawings the armatures 9 are shown as being measuring device, a spring in the form of solenoids, but it is evident that they can be formed in any desired manner. A brake 1 1 is provided for engaging with the lever, 6, and preventing any rebound or movement of the lever after it has been actuated in either direction until it is positively actuated by means of the armature moving toward its respective magnet.

Arranged under each conduit is a suitable balance or scale 12, being shown, the platform, 13, of which is adapted to receive and hold the receptacles 3 while they are being filled. Inclined race- Ways, 14 and 15 lead to and from the platform 13, whereby the receptacles are automatically delivered to and removed from the valve mechansim. The race-way 14 is preferably provided with a continuously moving belt, 16, upon which the empty receptacles are placed and by means of which they are forcibly carried onto the platform at the proper time. The scale or measuring apparatus is provided with two movable members, 17 and 17, one of which is adapted to be set or adjusted at any desired point, and the other one is movable towards the same and adapted to contact therewith when the receptacle has received its full supply of material. In the drawings, the members 17 and 17 are shown as forming two hands or pointers upon the face of the s ring balance 12, one of which is adapted to Be located at such a distance from or in advance of the other that it will require the desired weight of material to cause the movable member to pass from its normal or zero position into contact with the adjustable member. Said members are connected with parts of an electrical circuit and preferably provided with carbon contact points, 18.

The movement of the receptacles onto and off the platform 13 is controlled by a push rod 19 and two dividers or longitudinally movable stops, 20 and 21. These three members are reciprocally secured in any desired manner, as by means of straps or bails, 22, and are adapted to be moved in any desired manner, levers 23 and 24 being shown, two of which are adapted to be connected with other levers 24, by links 25. The rear end of each of said three members is preferably provided with a slotted cross head 26, to permit them to be actuated in a straight line y the ends of levers, which move in the path of a segment or portion of a circle. Springs 27 normally hold said three members in their desired tacle.

A shaft 28 is journaled at any convenient point, and provided with cams 29 for engaging with and actuating the levers 23. The shaft 28 is adapted to be rotated intermit tently from a continuously moving shaft, 30, as by means of clutch members 31 and 32, one of which members is reciprocally mounted on the shaft 30 and is adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the member 32 by means of a lever 33, which has its opposite end connected with the armature 34 of an electro-magnet, 35. A tripping device or cam surface, 36, on the shaft 28 is adapted to engage with a lever 37, and thereby actu ate it so as to move the lever 33, by means of a link 38, and thereby disengage the clutch members 31 and 32. A brake 39 is adapted to be forced into engagement with a collar 40 on the shaft 28, by means of a spring, 41.

The ends of the stops 20 and 21' are preferably pointed so as to readily pass in between two of the receptacles, and are located at a distance apart a trifle greater than the diameter of a receptacle, whereby the last can in the series being delivered to the platform, except the can directly under the spout, is permitted to move a short distance away from the rest of the series. The platform is preferably provided with two clamping members, 42 and 43, between which the receptacle is forced when it passes onto the platform. One of said members is yieldingly held toward the other as by means of a spring 44, whereby said member is adapted to be swung down over the upper end of the race way 15, when the receptacle is moved off the platform by means of the push rod 19 after it has been filled, the end of the push rod being preferably provided with a head 45, which has its forward side preferably slightly concaved so as to engage with the cylindrical side of the can. The operation of the push rod 19 and the stops 20 and 21 is so timed that as soon as a filled can or receptacle has been pushed off the platform onto the upper end of the race way 15, and the push rod 19 has been withdrawn and the clamping member 43 has been returned to its normal position by means of the spring 44, the stop 20 will be withdrawn, which will permit the nextempty can to be carried onto the platform by means of the belt, 16. As soon as the stop 20 has been returned to its normal position across the lower end of the race-way 14, the stop 21 will. be withdrawn, which will permit the entire series of receptacles to be moved forward the distance of the diameter of one receptacle, the stop 21 being projected forward in time to engage with the second can of the series and stop it while the first can is carried forward a slight distance until it engages with the stop 20. The race-ways are preferably positions in relation to the recep- Irom which they provided with shallow walls or sides, 46,

which will prevent the receptacles sliding off either race-way as they are being moved forward, the raceway 15 being at a sufficient angle or inclination to cause the filled cans to descend by gravity to any convenient point may be removed by an attendant. The race-way 14 may be also placed at such an angle or inclination as to .canse the cans or receptacles to move forward by gravity; or they can be placed more nearly horizontal and the cans or receptacles carried forward by means of the belt 16 after they have been placed thereon by the atten (1 ant.

The electro-magnets 10 are energized by means of a current from any source of electricity, as a motor, which is conducted to the coils of said magnets by wires, 47 and 48. The wires 47 connect with said source of electricity by means of a wire 49, and the wires 48 each terminate or are connected with an armature 50 of an electro-magnet, 51, said armature being adapted to contact with the terminals of wires 52 when they are drawn against the magnet 51, and the wires 52 communicate with said source of electricity by means of a wire Each of the magnets 51 is connected with a circuit comprising wires, 54 and 55, which are connected at one end with a battery 56, and at the other ends with the members 17 and 17.

111 operating a machine as above described, the material to be placed in the receptacle is introduced into the conduits 1. and 2 in any desired manner, and is delivered to the receptacles, preferably through strainers 58 at the lower ends of the conduits. By passing the material through spreaders in this manner, the stream of material is broken up and distributed in such manner that the scale or measuring mechanism will act more accurately than if the material were permitted to enter the receptacle in an unbroken stream.

As soon as the receptacle has received the desired amount of material, the movable member 17 will be moved into contact with the adjustable member .17 and the circuit thereby completed, which will cause the electro-magnet .51 for that side or conduit to be energized, which will actuate its arma ture and thereby close the circuit between the wires 48 and 52. This will cause one of the electro-magnets 10 to be energized and thereby attract its armature 9 so as to swing the lever 6 and cause the valve 4 in that con duit to be closed, and the valve in the other conduit to be opened. Part of the current from the wires 47 and 48 will also be shunted to the electro-magnet 35 through the wires 59 and 60 and thereby start the shaft 28 to rotating, which in turn will actuate the push rod 19 and the stops 20 and 21 and thereby remove the filled receptacle and place an empty receptacle under the closed conduit ready to be filled as soon as the other magnet 10 is energized by the closing of the circuit through the other electro-magnet, 51, which is done by the descent of the receptacle being filled in the same manner as described for the first filled receptacle. By arranging the parts in this manner, the discharge of the material into the receptacles is so regulated that a filled receptacle is removed and an .empty one put in its place, while an empty receptacle is being filled, thereby permitting of the greatest possible speed in filling receptacles.

Although I have shown two receptacles and mechanism for filling the same, it is evi dent that changes and modifications can be made in the construction and operation of mechanism for accomplishing the abovementioned results, and I reserve the right to make all such variations as will come within the scope of the invention as embodied in the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In an automatic filling machine, two conduits, a valve in each conduit, a reciprocatory bar connected with said valves, a lever connected at one end with said bar, electro-magnets, the armatures of which are connected with the other end of said lever, a weighing device for each conduit, means for moving receptacles onto and from said devices, and means connected with said devices for automatically controlling circuits for en ergizing said electro-magnets.

2. In an automatic filling machine, two conduits, a member therebetween, a valve for each conduit, a reciprocatory bar connected with said valves, a lever pivotally mounted on said member and having one end connected with said bar, a brake on said member for engaging with said lever, oppositely located electro-magnets, the armatures of which are in the form of solenoids, a head on said solenoids pivotally connected with the other end of said lever, an automatic weighing device for each conduit, and means for closing electrical circuits and energizing said electro-magnets when said devices are actuated.

3. In an automatic filling machine, a valved conduit, a platformadjacent thereto provided with clamping members, one of which members is spring pressed, race-ways leading to and from said platform, a push rod and stops in position for engaging with receptacles upon one end of said race ways and moving filled receptacles oil the platform onto the other race-way, a weighing device connectedwith said platform, and electrically controlled mechanism connected With said device for actuating said valve, rod and stops.

4. In an automatic filling machine, valved conduits, automatic weighing devices adjacent thereto, race-ways leading to and from said devices, reciprocatory members for con trolling the movement of receptacles onto and off of said devices, a cam shaft for actuating said reciprocatory members, a clutch for said shaft, and electrical means for actuating said valve and said clutch and adapted to be controlled by said weighing devices.

5. In an automatic filling machine, two valved conduits, an automatic weighing de vice for each conduit, means for moving receptacles onto and off of each device, electromagnets for controlling said valve and said receptacle moving mechanism, and means connected with said weighing device for controlling the circuits through said electromagnets.

6. In an automatic filing machine, two valved conduits, an automatic weighing device for each conduit, each of said devices being provided with an adjustable member and a movable member, means for moving receptacles onto and off of each device, electro-magnets for controlling said valves and said means, and two electric circuits, one of which is connected with the members of said device and provided with means for closing the other circuit when the first-mentioned circuit is closed.

7. In an automatic filling machine, two valved conduits, an automatic weighing device for each conduit provided with an adjustable member and a movable member, means for moving receptacles onto and ofi of each weighing device, electro-magnets for controlling said valve and said means, a plurality of circuits, each of which is provided with an electro-magnet, the armature of the magnets of part of said circuits forming portions of the other circuits, and part of said circuits being connected with said members of the weighing devices and the other magnet being provided with means for controlling Said valves and said receptacle controlling mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- IIGSSBS.

JEROME N. HUMPHREYS. Witnesses:

WV. H. HUMPHREYs, WILL TISOI-IMAOKER. 

